Motiur Rahman Nizami, the head of Jamaat-e-Islami party, his deputy Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid and top preacher Delwar Hossain Saydee were arrested in the capital Dhaka, city police chief A.K.M. Shahidul Haque said.

“They were detained after the court issued arrest warrants against them for hurting the religious sentiment of the people,” Haque told Media.

The Jamaat leaders have been charged after they claimed Nizami’s alleged persecution at the hands of the ruling Awami League was akin to the suffering of the Prophet Mohammed, Bangladesh, an Islamic Republic, has an overwhelming Muslim majority population.

Syed Rejaul Haque Chandpuri, secretary general of the Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, filed the case on March 21 with a metropolitan magistrate’s court in Dhaka against five Jamaat leaders.

The case stated that Dhaka City Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Rafiqul Islam Khan at a discussion in Dhaka on March 17 compared Nizami to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which hurt the Muslims

The three leaders had been summoned to appear at a Dhaka court on Tuesday but ignored the order, which lead to an arrest warrant being issued, he said.

Jamaat-e-Islami has been the country’s largest Islamic party since it was allowed to operate and contest in elections in late 1970s. It was a part of the Islamist-allied government led by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in 2001-6.

Since winning a landslide in December 2008, the government has cracked down on Islamist groups, with the head of banned Islamic outfit Hizb-ut Tahrir being arrested April on charges of instigating militancy and running a banned group.

Police say Hizb-ut Tahrir is still actively trying to destabilise the government and plot attacks.

Jamaat’s top leaders have also been accused of war crimes by private groups investigating Bangladesh’s liberation war of 1971, including the killing of dozens of intellectuals during the nine-month war against Pakistan.

Jamaat leaders deny the allegations.

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The parliamentary standing committee on labour and employment also recommended taking measures to resolve all the other problems in the garments sector.

The labour minister Mosharraf Hossain informed the committee Thursday that a tripartite meeting involving the ministry, garments unit-owners and workers’ representatives is likely to be held Sunday or Monday.

The meet will discuss the ongoing unrest in the sector, Israfil Alam, chief of the parliamentary body, told The Daily Star newspaper.

As many as 50,000 to 60,000 garment industry workers have been booked for violence over the last weekend in Ashulia, a suburban industrial township on the outskirts of the national capital.

Four cases were lodged at the Ashulia police station by Wednesday evening — one was against 50,000 to 60,000 unnamed people while two were against 180 people on the charge of attacking factories and one against 200 unnamed people.

About the case filed against such a large number of people, New Age quoted the Ashulia police officer-in-charge, Sirajul Islam, as saying: ‘We have taken the decision to avert further unrest in the area.’

The area’s 250 garments units resumed work Wednesday following assurance of protection from the government.

The private garments sector is Bangladesh’s top foreign exchange earner. It netted $12 billion in 2009.

The latest round of violent protests was triggered over wage dispute. The workers want Taka 5,000 ($86) as minimum wage, while the employers are not willing to pay beyond Taka 1,600.

The garments sector has witnessed recurring violence in Bangladesh where wages are low and working conditions are poor for an estimated three million workers, mostly women.

A global survey by the Vienna-based International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), released here last week, has said that the Bangladeshi workers in this sector are ‘world’s most poorly paid’ and that their exploitation was ‘on the rise’

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Hartal : Strike !!!Virus of politics:

Time changed. we were under different political culture ,so at the beginning of independence -?we also needed Hartal as political demand.?Now?from my core observation. AFTER39 years THE NATION LOOKING FOR THE ALTERNATIVE AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO DIFFER WITH GOVERMENT. NO MORE HARTAL IS EXPECTED.

HARTAL IS A STRAIGHT VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS !!!!

HARTAL : STRIKE REVIEWS .

26/06/2010DHAKA: Security has been beefed up in the Bangladeshi capital today ahead of the anti government general strike called by the main opposition BNP, amid fears of violence as the supporters of the ruling Awami League plan to thwart the day-long shutdown tomorrow.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party has announced a nationwide anti-government general strike tomorrow to oppose the ruling coalition’s policies, including “compromising national interests” by inking deals with India earlier this year.
Former prime minister Khaleda Zia, the chief of the BNP, announced the anti-government campaign on May 19 for “compromising national interests?? by signing deals with India during prime minister Sheikh Hasina??s New Delhi tour in January, oppose “tender-grabbing and extortions by government cronies?? and deteriorating utility services in the country.
The authorities and the supporters of the Awami League have said they were determined to crackdown on those creating “anarchy and disorder” in the country.
Dhaka metropolitan police has banned processions on the main roads in the capital and stepped up security to prevent any violence.
Dhaka police chief AKM Shahidul Haque told mediapersons that an additional 10,000 force will be deployed in the capital to maintain order.
He said police would not prevent the BNP from its planned strike, but actions would be taken if they try to create anarchy by vandalising vehicles or setting those on fire.
Pro-government Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) today announced that it would thwart the dawn-to-dusk general strike of BNP, triggering fears of violent clashes.
“So BCL will be on the field to prevent the strike by any means,” Mahmud Hasan Ripon, the BCL president, was quoted as saying by the bdnews24 online.
He expressed fears that the radical Islamist groups, including ‘Jamaat-Shibir’ could take advantage of the strike to create chaos in a bid to halt the trial of the war criminals accused of genocide during the 1971 ‘Liberation War’.
He asked the leaders and activists of BCL to stay on the alert tomorrow.
Law minister Qamrul Islam told reporters yesterday that the government had no plans to confront the protesters, but warned: “We will not tolerate anarchy or disorder during the hartal”.
BNP chief Zia has warned the government against creating any obstruction during the countrywide shutdown.
“The government will have to bear the responsibility of the consequences if it tries to obstruct our peaceful programme,” she warned.
BNP secretary general Delwar Hossain alleged today that the government had been arresting and harassing BNP leaders and activists across the country to disrupt the strike.
BNP-led four party alliance, including the Islamist Jammat have already declared their support to the strike.
During Hasina’s New Delhi visit, Bangladesh and India signed three agreements to jointly combat the terror menace while New Delhi announced a one-billion dollar line of credit to Dhaka.
India decided to give 250MW of power to Bangladesh from the central grid while they signed a power-sharing agreement. Bangladesh also promised not to allow its territory to be used for terror against India.
Political parties have frequently resorted to shutdowns and general strikes in Bangladesh to pressure the government, often leading to violence, political deadlock and seriously crippling its economy.
An earlier UNDP report calculated that the net loss in one day’s shutdown to around Taka 500 crore while it cost the country 3 to 4% of its GDP on an average every year between 1991 and 2000.

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Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Ghulam Mohammad Quader introduced the bill.

In the bill, a proposal has been made to declare such areas as tourism protected areas through gazette notifications which have immense potentialities as tourism industry. To achieve the goal, a proposal has also been made to impose an embargo on any activities in the areas.

Besides, the bill proposed for announcing special tourism zone in the tourism protected areas and controlling and running the areas under own initiatives of the government or non- government and autonomous organizations, statutory body or individuals.

According to the bill, a proposal has also been made for undertaking investment activities for constructing special tourist centers and their development under the public and private sectors or public-private joint venture in the tourism protected areas.

The bill also proposed punishment for those who would violate these rules.

While introducing the bill, the minister said the bill has been placed in the House aimed at protecting the areas which have tourism potentialities by checking unplanned activities in the areas.

“The main aim of the bill is to build necessary infrastructure and create amusement and service-oriented facilities for setting up special tourist zone and imposing lawful embargo in controlling and running of the zone,” he said.

The bill was later sent to the concerned parliamentary standing committee for further scrutiny and report back in the House.

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Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad, replying to lawmakers’ queries, told the House that the new channel, styled “Sangsad Bangladesh” would begin digital terrestrial test transmission in December in Dhaka, Chittagong and Khulna.

Apart from telecasting parliamentary programmes, the new channel will also broadcast different programmes on development, reported BBC Monitoring.

Earlier, the Bangladeshi parliament passed a resolution setting up a separate television channel dedicated to broadcasting the parliamentary proceedings.

The information minister said the government is considering formulation of a time befitting policy to make private radios and television channels more neutral and pro-people.

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Two ‘border haats’ would be set up along the Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya while eight such ‘haats’ would be established along Tripura’s border with Bangladesh, senior officials and traders said at a summit on India-Bangladesh trade.

‘The first ‘border haat’ is expected to be opened in the next two months along the Meghalaya border in West Garo Hills,’ said India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) president Abdul Matlub Ahmad.

Addressing the summit, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said: ‘Northeast India with a population of 43 million and market size of about $20 billion offers an attractive opportunity to Bangladesh.

‘Northeast India has rich natural resources like various horticultural and plantation crops, including rubber, which could be of interest to Bangladesh,’ he said.

The commodities to be traded in these ‘haats’ would include locally produced agriculture and horticulture products, spices, minor forest products excluding timber, fresh and dry fish, dairy, fishery and poultry products, products of cottage industries, wooden furniture and cane products, handloom and handicraft items besides materials useful for farmers.

The ‘haats’ would operate within 1.5 km radius of both sides of the border under close supervision of the border guards and customs officials of both the countries.

These ‘border haats,’ which came to a halt post-partition, resumed after a few years and stopped again after the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war.

Four northeastern states – Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam – share a 1,880 km border with Bangladesh, while India and Bhutan share a 643 km unfenced border.

The Tripura chief minister said that at present Bangladesh has a larger volume of trade with China as compared to India.

‘There is no reason why India cannot become the largest trading partner of Bangladesh, if the process of cooperation under SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement) is further intensified and all the barriers to trade and investment are removed,’ he said.

‘Most important cities of Bangladesh, including Dhaka, Chittagong, Sylhet and Comilla, are within 15 km of the northeast borders and towns,’ he stated.

The summit was organised by the Rajasthan-based Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) to boost and highlight the opportunities of increasing trade between India and Bangladesh focusing the northeast.

Stressing the urgent need to establish air connectivity between Bangladesh and the northeastern states of India, Sarkar said: ‘The ‘Maitree’ Express train service which runs between Kolkata and Dhaka should also be extended upto Akhaurah railway station near Agartala.’

Speaking about Tripura, he said that with a population of about 3.5 million, the state is also ‘a fairly large market of the size of about $2 billion’.

‘If the union government agrees, Tripura can supply power to Bangladesh from its upcoming two mega power projects (740 MW in south Tripura and 104 MW in west Tripura), which would start generating power within the next few years.’

The official trade between Tripura and Bangladesh has increased more than three times in the last three years and was about Rs.150 crore during the last fiscal (2009-10).

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But apart from their choice of a candidate, be that from partisan or personal considerations, the very opportunity of the electorate to exercise its franchise in a free and fair manner is what constitutes democracy. From that point of view, can we then claim that the just held mayoral election in Chittagong bore the hallmark of a thriving democracy in Bangladesh?

And since, unlike most other elections held earlier — whether parliamentary or local government — the Chittagong poll was conspicuous by the absence of violence, can we not also say that our democracy is also getting more mature by the day?

Whomever the credit for the just held impartial election may go to — the Election Commission’s competence, the ruling party’s respect for democracy or the winning candidate’s popularity with the constituents — the result of the election has definitely gone to enhance the nation’s image in a big way.

But before rushing to such conclusions, one needs also to think in retrospect. What really has happened only about two months after the Bhola by-election that all the parties involved in the Chittagong mayoral poll have buried their differences and the electorate could be weaned from their attachment to their parties overnight?

It cannot be gainsaid that in Bangladesh, elections are highly partisan, though the advocates of the different political camps would like to call it political. And the voters’ choice for their candidates is determined more by their blind partisan allegiance than by any critical judgement of their party programs or the candidate’s merit. And the supporters’ allegiance to their party is comparable with the bond between the members of a clan and its guardians.

As a result, the leaders and activists of the different parties, especially of the most influential one’s such as Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), consider their sway over their supporters for granted. That is more so because it is the personal charisma of the top leadership of the contesting parties that outweighs other considerations in the choice of their candidates.

Even then, if there is ever any exception to this tradition and if that becomes evident from the party activists’ assessment of the pulse of the people in a constituency, then the likelihood of violence in that constituency gets higher. The power of muscle and money then prevails over that of logic and persuasion.

Now if one reflects on the result of the Chittagong mayoral poll, it may appear that some established notion about the voters’ loyalty to their favourite party or the leadership might have gone through a sea change. Otherwise, why this exception in the electorates’ behaviour as manifested through the outcome of the election in question?

Oddly enough, so far, neither of the major political parties throwing their weight behind their candidates has brought any allegation of rigging against the other. Even the prime minister and supreme leader of the ruling Awami League has congratulated the mayor elect from the second biggest city Chittagong. And the victor from the major opposition has even sought the cooperation of the defeated mayoral candidate from the ruling party in running his office once he takes charge.

Have then all the earlier calculations on the result of the election been proved wrong, or is it that we are witnessing a major shift in the pattern of the voters’ loyalty to their parties? At least, the winning party in the election would like to evaluate the polls outcome in such light.

One may recall here the parliamentary by-election in Bhola was held in the fourth week of April. The behaviour of the contending parties and their candidates was predictably different in that election as it was marked by serious instances of violence and charges and counter-charges of rigging and all kinds of criminality levelled against one another by the contending Awami League and the BNP.

One explanation may be that widespread violence and charges of rigging that dominated the electoral scene during and after Bhola election were due mainly to the fact that it was a parliamentary one and that it was a prestige constituency for both the ruling and the opposition party.

It would be worthwhile to point out what one of the prominent leaders of the ruling Awami League, Obaidul Kader, said in his post-election reaction when he warned the opposition saying that they should not go overboard with this election result simply because it was concerned with a local government and hence it had no political significance.

At the same time, he advised the opposition party to remember a similar victory that their just-defeated mayor had won during the four-party alliance government between 2001 and 2006. In the same breath, he also suggested that the defeat of their mayoral candidate in Chittagong was something that they themselves wanted to happen.

The ruling party leader’s view of the election result cannot be dismissed out of hand either. In fact, a strange combination of factors, including the disillusionment of a section of the electorate with the erstwhile Chittagong mayor, together militated against him to influence the polls result.

Despite the strangeness of the factors playing their part, it cannot be denied that, after all, the electoral result reflected the people’s choice. But then, such uniqueness of circumstance does also come into play in the case of national elections! Had it not been so, all the election results would become predictable.

So, once the parties, both in power and in opposition, started to reflect on this uniqueness of every election, they would not behave so violently to manipulate the results of various other elections. And they should already be wiser by now, if they consider the results of the previous national elections, notwithstanding all their efforts to influence those

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Hasina’s arch rival and opposition leader Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) scored a major upset when its candidate Mohammad Manjur Alam was elected mayor of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Friday.

He defeated Awami League-backed incumbent A.B.M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury by the largest ever margin of votes in the corporation’s history.

The defeat was humiliating for the Awami League that has scored victories in all by-elections since it swept to power with a two-thirds parliamentary majority in in January 2009.

The League finished with 17 seats behind the BNP’s 21, with BNP ally Jamaat-e-Islami winning two.

Chowdhury was the first elected mayor of the port city and had been in the post for 17 years. Manjur bagged 479,145 votes defeating Mohiuddin by 95,528 votes.

While Hasina and her party were quick to congratulate the winners, calling it ‘victory of democracy’, Chowdhury accused the Election Commission and the Chittagong administration of ‘engineering’ his defeat.

However, The Daily Star said: ‘Domineering attitude, rudeness, failure to win party ranks’ confidence, low turnout and his rival’s clean image are believed to have ended Mohiuddin Chowdhury’s 17-year mayoral rule in the port city.’

Some local leaders put it down to allegations of corruption and nepotism and division among minority communities. The port town has a significant Hindu population.

Zia congratulated the people of Chittagong for ‘thwarting the conspiracies of the ruling party and their move to protract their dictatorship in a Nazi manner’.

BNP senior joint secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said ‘the election in Chittagong was fair as the military was deployed there’.

‘Had the military been deployed in Bhola, where a parliamentary by-election was held last month, the BNP would have swept the polls there too,’ he said.

Low turnout of young voters and inactivity of ruling Awami League workers made it only easier for Manjur to rout his once mentor Mohiuddin.

Political analysts say the scene now shifts to the nationwide strike that Zia has called against the Hasina government June 27.

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In a statement, the opposition leader said the poll result was a reflection of people’s mandate against the oppression and torture of the government.

She also expressed her gratitude to the law enforcing agencies, election commission, the media and others for conducting a peaceful election, Prothom Alo reports.

Earlier in the morning, the returning officer said Manjur was unofficially elected mayor of the Chittagong City Corporation

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He said that the global remittance flow in 2009 decreased by 5.3 per cent, whereas, with an increase of 19.4 per cent, the remittance flow in Bangladesh reached US$ 10.7 billion in 2010. The remittance flow of first 11 months with an increase of 14.9 per cent stood at US$ 10.1 billion in FY 2009-10.

Fakhor Uddin said, as per the budget proposal, all corporate tax payers will be required to pay 10 per cent tax on income from transaction in listed securities, while sponsors, partners or directors of the listed companies will be required to pay 5 per cent tax on the said income. Such income will remain tax-free for the individuals.

He, however, said, “Imposing tax on corporate bodies and sponsors etc will go against the sustainable development of the capital market. It may also discourage corporate investments in the capital market from home and abroad,” and urged the government to review the proposal.

Regarding tax on share premium he said the government has proposed 3.00 per cent tax the premium received from sale of shares issued at premium.

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